Monongahela National Forest Story Archives - Page 2 of 6

Feds Taking Public Comment On Oil, Gas Leasing Rules Through Sept. 22

The Bureau of Land Management proposes to adjust fees and bonding requirements to keep up with inflation.

The federal Bureau of Land Management is taking public comment on new rules for oil and gas leasing on public lands.

The agency has not updated its oil and gas leasing rules in several decades. In the meantime, the cost of remediating and capping abandoned wells has increased.

The agency proposes to adjust fees and bonding requirements to keep up with inflation.

It also wants to take steps to eliminate non-competitive bid leasing and make oil and gas companies responsible for cleanup rather than taxpayers. The agency is spending $250 million from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to reclaim abandoned wells nationwide.

According to the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, the rules would apply to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and the Monongahela National Forest.

The public can comment on the proposed rules through Sept. 22.

Permits Soon Available For Harvesting Ginseng In National Forest

The Monongahela National Forest will start selling permits to harvest ginseng Aug. 28 for a season that runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30.

Permits will be available at the six ranger stations spread throughout the forest, as well as at the supervisor’s office, Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $20 and allows the holder to dig up to 95 ginseng plants in the forest.

Amy Lovell, education specialist for the Monongahela National Forest, said the permits are a way to help protect harvesting on public lands for future generations.

“Wild ginseng populations have declined over the past decade,” she said. “We’re really concerned about the sustainability of the harvest in the forest. And also we can educate folks when they come in to purchase a permit on the best harvesting practices.”

West Virginians have hunted ginseng for generations, and Lovell said the forest sees the tradition being passed down from generation to generation.

“Oftentimes, when folks come to get a permit from one of the ranger stations, it’ll be almost three generations that come together, so a grandparent with their child and their grandchild,” she said. “It’s definitely a cultural tradition in Appalachia, and we just want to see it done sustainably in the forest so that it can continue for future generations.”

Lovell says the number of permits is limited and awarded on a first come first serve basis. Permit holders are required to harvest only mature plants that have fruited this year.

“We ask folks when they harvest the plant to leave the fruit on site, they can plant that fruit in the ground to help propagate that population,” she said. “This isn’t a requirement, but we asked folks to harvest no more than 25 percent of the legal plants in a patch. Research suggests that harvesting more than that can lead to population declines.”

Monongahela National Forest Prohibits Fireworks

If you are planning to celebrate July 4th at Monongahela National Forest, reconsider what you are packing. Possessing, igniting, discharging or using any kind of fireworks is prohibited on National Forest System Lands.

The Fourth of July is coming up and a great place to spend it is in Monongahela National Forest. While packing for the weekend, remember to leave your fireworks at home. While they are perfect for the holiday, possessing, igniting, discharging, or using fireworks of any kind is prohibited on national forest system lands.

“We encourage forest visitors to enjoy public fireworks displays in one of the communities in and around Monongahela National Forest.” said Aaron Kendall, fire management officer for Monongahela National Forest.

Setting off fireworks is illegal, but also hazardous and can cause injury or may start wildfires.

Law enforcement in the national park will be watching closely this Fourth of July. Fireworks will be confiscated, and users can be fined up to $5,000 or serve up to six months in prison.

Report any fire-related incidents to the Mid-Atlantic Coordination Center 24-hour dispatch at (717) 980-3230.

Orphaned Wells To Be Plugged In Ohio River Islands Wildlife Refuge

The nearly $64 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior will clean up about 300 sites nationwide, including nine in West Virginia.

West Virginia is one of 14 states to receive a new round of funding to plug orphaned wells on federal lands.

The nearly $64 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior will clean up about 300 sites nationwide, including nine in West Virginia.

“Decades of drilling have left behind thousands of non-producing wells that now threaten the health and wellbeing of our communities, our lands, and our waters,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “This funding will put Americans to work in good-paying jobs, while also fueling collaboration across a broad coalition of stakeholders and engaging communities to work toward sustainable stewardship of the nation’s treasured lands and waters.”

The West Virginia sites are part of the Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge consists of 22 islands and four mainland areas along 362 miles of the river, most of it in West Virginia.

Migratory birds and endangered mussels are a priority for protection in the refuge, which is also part of one of the nation’s busiest inland waterways.

The remediation work helps stop fugitive methane from entering the atmosphere. The greenhouse gas is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Some pre- and post- plugging work will also be done in the Monongahela National Forest.

Monongahela National Forest Prepares For Prescribed Burn Season

Staff at the Monongahela National Forest are preparing to conduct prescribed burns in the area through June.

Prescribed burns are planned fires meant to maintain a forest’s health and prevent overgrowth. They help improve habitats by removing invasive species, recycling nutrients into the soil and providing forage for wild game. It also helps to prevent more dangerous wildfires.

“What we’re doing is we’re trying to reestablish fire’s natural role in forest ecosystems,” Monongahela National Forest Fire and Fuel Planner Conor Shanahan said.

The areas scheduled for prescribed burns include units in Pendleton, Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties, totaling 1,251 acres.

The areas include:

Big Mountain Unit 9 and 10 in Pendleton County
Chestnut Ridge North/South Savanna Units 1 and 2 in Pocahontas County
Hopkins Units A, B and C in Greenbrier County
Brushy Mountain Units B2, B4 and B6 in Greenbrier County

These areas will be closed off during the day of the burn, and may be closed during the few days after for public safety.

“Our burns might be seen by the public but usually we post signs on roads the day of or the day before burning,” Shanahan said. “People may see or smell smoke, but besides that, they wouldn’t really have much encounters with any of our burning corps or fire.”

No specific dates have been announced as burns are scheduled for days with specific weather conditions and could be delayed because of temperature, humidity, smoke dispersion and wind.

Information and maps about the burnings will be available online when they begin.

Monongahela National Forest Prepares For Ramp Collecting Season

With ramp season nearly here, many West Virginians are preparing to harvest the wild, onion-like crops.

With ramp season nearly here, many West Virginians are preparing to harvest the wild, onion-like crop.

“I like to describe it between an onion and garlic, and it’s super versatile in cooking,” Amy Lovell, Monongahela National Forest educational representative, said. “It’s not something you can get all year long, which I think people really gravitate to as well.”

Guidelines for ramp collecting include only harvesting ramps from patches with more than 100 plants and only collecting around 20 percent of each patch to allow the remaining plants to mature.

When digging bulbs, use a soil fork or hand trowel so as not to disturb the roots of neighboring plants, and make sure to cover any bare soil with leaves to keep invasive plants from growing nearby.

Lovell said the act of harvesting ramps has seen an uptick in popularity in recent years. Ramps can be eaten raw, pickled or fried, or used in dishes like meatloaf and potato soup, among other uses.

“We see children these days going out with their parents and their grandparents to harvest ramps, and it’s really an intergenerational activity that happens in Appalachia,” Lovell said. “And even now, ramps are gaining a lot of popularity, even in large cities. So, in the spring, you’ll start to see them pop up on menus and restaurants in urban areas.”

Places like Monongahela National Forest have restrictions on how many ramps individuals can harvest. The maximum amount is two gallons per person, or 180 plants. Collecting the plants for commercial purposes, including reselling those originally harvested for personal use, is not allowed.

Ramp seeds and transplants, however, can be planted in a personal garden.

“They like really rich, cool moist soil under deciduous trees, so our oak trees or maple trees are birch trees,” Lovell said. “That’s where we typically find grant ramps growing. So if you can mimic those conditions in your home garden, you’re gonna have a really good harvest of ramps.”

Lovell also noted transplants mature more quickly than seeds; transplants take two to three years to mature, while seeds can take up to seven years.

Monongahela National Forest spans ten counties in eastern West Virginia, including Barbour County, Grant County, Tucker County, Randolph County, Greenbrier County, Webster County, Preston County, Nicholas County, Pendleton County, and Pocahontas County. Lovell reminds visitors that when harvesting ramps, make sure to prepare for the weather and any emergencies that could happen.

“This time of year, the weather can be really unpredictable, so we can get snowstorms still, we may get sudden thunderstorms or flash flooding,” Lovell said. “So just make sure that if you’re coming to harvest ramps from the national forest that you’re prepared with appropriate clothing and extra food, extra water, a flashlight and batteries in case you get stranded in the dark.”